Travis & I were fortunate with the weather again (so far we have only had one day & 2 nights of rain in Venice) as it was a gorgeous day spent in Pompeii. It is such a moving place to be as you are able to imagine life as you walk the original streets of this ancient Roman town. It was in 79 AD that Vesuvius erupted killing 2000 inhabitants and plaster casts were made of some of the people capturing the moment of their death & even a poor dog who was tied to a tree! The people were so small it was fascinating to see. On our tour there was a man in a wheelchair who may have had something similar to what I have as when he was able to walk his foot dragged and he had difficulty lifting his neck. Cobblestone streets are not easy to negotiate at the best of times but it was inspiring to see as his wife would help him get up and negotiate difficult steps to view everything worth seeing even though it would have been easier to stay in the chair and miss certain things. They were continuing onto Mt. Vesuvius for the second part of the day and the tour guide stated it would not be easy for him. Her attitude was to go anyway and see how far they could get. The message I got was to not let ALS stop me from doing what I love and to not let others decide for me what I can and cannot do! It was a shame though as it would not have been difficult to put a few ramps here & there in order to make Pompeii more accessible without changing it's atmosphere. I feel ashamed that I haven't noticed accessibility issues as I do now.

After Pompeii we went for lunch in Naples and had the BEST pizza of our lives, in fact it was so good that being Trav's birthday, that's what he wanted for dinner so we ordered 2 more pizzas to go!

This morning we drove from Naples to Positano along a winding road with stunning views of Naples, Mt. Vesuvius (that had snow on it this morning, I guess preparing us for what awaits us at home!) Sorrento, and the coast. Our hotel has a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea and the town is so beautifully built up on the hillside, there are many steps but that won't stop me from exploring!

Yesterday in Florence included marvelling at Michelangelo's David, true perfection. I was sad to leave but I think Travis thought it best as if we had another day I probably would have spent it shopping! I am so grateful to the team at the Ottawa hospital for putting the rush on my leg brace, because of it I have been able to spend our days walking on cobblestone streets. Without it my legs are just not as strong.

The train ride to Venice was easy as pie as the Florence train station was just across the street from our hotel! When we arrived as much as we knew of Venice it still amazed us to see streets of water! We hopped on a Vaporetto (water bus) and rode to our stop at San Marco piazza. The seafood looks unbelievable here and we are looking forward to dinner tonite. We are also getting excited to see uncle Geoff tomorrow!

Travis & I left our little slice of Heaven "Podere di Pomaio" located beside the town of Arezzo on Saturday. If you are interested in renting a Tuscan Villa this is absolutely the place to go. Not only is their philosophy to think green, they are also a family owned vineyard with the most incredible wine. The property has stunning views and the villa is incredible. The brothers Iacopo and Marco were just lovely as we spent Thursday night in their company with a wine tour of the property including an authentic Tuscan "light" dinner (if you can call pomodoro bruschetta, first pressed homemade olive oil bruschetta, salami, cheese & homemade honey bruschetta, prosciutto, pecorino cheese, grilled aubergine, grilled courgettes, tempura vegetables, Etruscan melted cheese with honey & biscotti a light dinner).We laughed, cried, played cards & games, enjoyed sunsets, toured medieval towns, talked & talked some more, ate wonderful food (including white truffle & free gelato), drank fine wine with Heather & Andy whom we love and adore so so much. We miss you already and look forward to our next adventure together!After our first train ride we arrived safely in Florence where we ate lunch in the sunshine underneath the gorgeous marble Duomo-the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It didn't take us long to discover shopping in Florence from elegant handmade paper to custom sized Italian belts in the market. Today we visited the Uffizi gallery where we saw in person the works of the Italian renaissance masters I studied. After yet another pizza lunch (when does daily pizza become too much?) we marveled the Pitti Palace. Florence truly is unbelievable.

Yesterday was another amazing day at a wine tour at Castello di Alboa (thank you Rosie, Scott & Sebastien). Driving up on crazy hairpin turns with incredible vistas we encountered a random Llama! The winery located in Chianti produces 700,000 bottles/year. Today was full of sunshine as we ate pizza in a piazza in Arezzo and then went to see the gorgeous Piero Della Francesca frescoes in the church of San Francesco. Arriving home in time for a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow involves a trip to Siena returning home to a wine tour of where we are staying Podere di Pomaio.

After surprising Heather by meeting her & Andy at the airport in Rome (we told her we would meet in Tuscany) we are eating incredible food in front of a beautiful fire inside our 800 year old villa. We even have a kitty who napped on me while I was napping!

We have arrived! It is absolutely gorgeous out, sunny & 17• Our hotel is Old Roman style with a view overlooking the Roman Forum. If you step outside you can see the Colosseum. I know what you're thinking, why are you blogging? We didn't get any sleep on the plane and my legs are exhausted but I am too excited to nap! So we are resting, and then exploring & eating, Ciao!

Just wanted to say goodnite...our flight takes off at 5:15pm tomorrow night. We stop in Frankfurt and arrive in Rome at 12:15pm on Tuesday November 5th. Will send mini updates from Italy! Love you all and feel your warmth, good wishes, and smiles as I type this.

Wow, where to start? Once again I am moved beyond tears for what our friends and family are doing for us. Thank you so so much to the Brookstreet Hotel & CMHA for all of your love & support. The event is on! On Sunday December 15th, they are organizing a fundraising event for us called "Live Love Laugh For Carol" at NEXT restaurant in Stittsville. More details will follow soon.